Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Avera Health has created a program designed to provide an affordable pathway into nursing.
Five things to know:
1. The Avera Nursing Advantage program names Mount Marty University in Yankton, S.D., as Avera's preferred educator for its future nursing workforce, providing the school's junior and senior nursing students with sponsorship opportunities, according to an Oct. 24 news release from the health system.
2. The program will pay for most students' tuition and partial room and board in their final two years at the university.
3. Those who graduate with a bachelor's in nursing will have the opportunity to work at the system.
4. Students can work as part-time certified nursing assistants or patient care technicians at Avera Sacred Heart Hospital or the Avera Sacred Heart Majestic Bluffs older adult living community, both in Yankton, during all four years at the university.
5. The program was created in September and includes 13 seniors. It is now being offered to junior students in Mount Marty's BSN program.